Wednesday, April 25, 2012

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan (NNS) --
Two Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, were
each awarded their Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist (SCWS) qualification by
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus in a ceremony held on Camp
Leatherneck, April 24.

Yeoman 2nd Class Deron M. Bennett, from
Lakewood, N.J., and Engineering Aide Constructionman Shenelle C. Stewart, from
Kingston, Jamaica, both assigned to NMCB-11, were each awarded their SCWS
qualification by Mabus in a ceremony held on Camp Leatherneck, April 24.

Following the SCWS insignia pinning,
Mabus awarded each of the two Sailors a Secretary of the Navy coin. He spoke
about his admiration for the work that Seabees do and accepted questions before
departing.

"I want to thank you all for what
you do. You are the reason why the Navy and Marine Corps team is the finest
expeditionary force the world has ever known," Mabus said.

"It was a great honor to have the
Secretary of the Navy put time aside out of his busy schedule to pin my Seabee
Combat Warfare qualification," said Bennett. "I worked really hard on
it, and it made it extra special to have him pin it."

There are multiple criteria for earning
the SCWS qualification including coursework, a field exercise, a written exam,
and two oral board in which candidates must demonstrate their knowledge of
Seabee combat warfare. Sailors who earn this qualification are said to have
demonstrated competency and proficiency in the art of Seabee combat warfare and
are authorized to wear the SCWS insignia.

"The toughest part, for me, was
learning how to do things that are usually done by higher pay grades,"
said Stewart. "It was hard, but once you finish it there is a real sense
of accomplishment, and you feel like you're really part of the Seabees."

Bennett suggested that those who enroll
in the Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist program seek help from those who know
it well. "Find a mentor; someone who can break it down at your level, and
work with them on it every day until you get your SCWS pin."

Homeported in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11
is deployed to Afghanistan to conduct general, mobility, survivability
engineering operations, defensive operations, Afghan National Army partnering
and detachment of units in combined/joint operations area - Afghanistan in
order to enable the neutralization of the insurgency and support improved
governance and stability operations.